By Victor Raballa and Oliver Musembi
Politicians are divided on whether to change the General Election date from August 2017 to a later date to give new commissioners of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) time to settle down.
While some MPs have warned against plans to amend the Constitution to allow change of election date, Nyamira Senator Kennedy Mong’are says the only way the country can have a well-planned and peaceful election is if they are delayed.
Mong’are has warned against rushing the process of appointing new commissioners saying the country risks a repeat of the ugly incidents that followed the disputed 2007 General Election.
Speaking in Nairobi yesterday, the Cord Senator said he will lobby for the formation of a bi-partisan, non-parliamentary caucus to move the elections date to a more convenient month.
But MPs Alice Ng’ang’a and Moses Ole Sakuda are opposed to an extension: “I am against proposals to have Parliament amend the Constitution to move the election date,” Ng’ang’a said, adding that everything should be done to ensure the elections are held as scheduled.
Sakuda said there is no crisis because IEBC is largely run by the secretariat while the commissioners’ role is to rubber stamp.
Mong’are said his proposed team will include religious leaders, legal experts and civil society groups.
“If elections are held in August next year as spelt out in the Constitution, then Parliament and County Assemblies will have to be dissolved latest February 2017 in order to conform with the provisions of the Elections Act,” he said.
Mong’are noted that, according to the new elections law, political parties taking part in the polls need to submit lists of their members to the IEBC at least 90 days to the day of election.
Prior to this, he added, the Act stipulates that political parties will also be required to submit the names of their members participating in the primaries at least 21 days before the date of the nominations which some parties also want IEBC to conduct on their behalf.
He further pointed out that the yet to be constituted commission will face challenges in restocking over 7,000 biometric kits, 12,000 electronic voter identification devices which have collapsed, and restoration of the Results Transmission System that is also down.
“One key recommendation in the Kreigler Commission Report was that an election body should be in place two clear years to the polls if post-election mayhem is to be avoided,” he said.
The Senator argued that it is not enough to have new commissioners, but there should be an assurance that that they will be in a position to conduct the exercise in a free, fair and credible manner.
He said there should be sufficient time for auditing and clearance of voter registers and registration of an estimated 9.2 million new voters and putting in place mechanisms to enable Kenyans in diaspora to vote in conformity with the Supreme Court ruling.
Mong’are also said holding elections in August would shorten the terms of elected leaders including the President, Deputy President, senators, governors, MPs and Members of County Assemblies who should serve for five years from the date of their election.
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